Sachin – Our Ideal Role Model
An era comprising nearly a quarter of a century ends with the retirement of Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. The ‘Fab Four’ of Indian cricket is now history. If the absence of Ganguly, Dravid and Laxman was palpable, the realization that Sachin will not feature in the Indian team anymore could take much longer to sink in.
The person, as somebody put it, who specifically came to this planet earth to play cricket has finally called it quits. The prophecy wasn’t off the mark at all as Sachin’s staggering record stands testimony to it. 100 centuries, 200 test matches, 34000 runs, phew! We really are talking about the God of Cricket.
Sachin’s exploits on the cricket field will always be a source of inspiration to everyone. The short-statured batting genius has been an embodiment of every core value that an exceptionally successful person is associated with. How he coped with the rigors of international cricket and the toll that it took on his diminutive frame!
India, however, does not hero-worship Sachin just for his cricketing achievements. The once-in-a-generation player also went on winning hearts through the manner in which he acquitted himself all throughout his career. Adversity seldom got the better of Sachin. ‘Sack Sachin’ is what many said post India’s ignominious first round exit in the 2007 world cup. How did the man respond? The period that followed saw Sachin scale bigger heights through some unprecedented achievements (match-winning knocks in CB series, first player to score a double century) and it eventually culminated with the realization of the most coveted dream of the Little Master (India’s world cup victory in 2011).
Go through old videos and see how Sachin reacted to wrong decisions and barbs from opposition players. It will be hard to find a misdemeanor that ill-behooved our true champion.
Every country, big or small, needs leaders to look up to and perhaps the biggest contribution of Sachin Tendulkar was that he served as a role model to an entire nation.
This post was written by Aditya Singhal, managing director of askIITians.